Joseph-Émmanuel Zwiener fl. circa 1875-1900 AN IMPORTANT GILT-BRONZE MOUNTED KINGWOOD AND END-CUT MARQUETRY ART-CASE GRAND PIANO À QUEUE

Hamburg, the art-case designed by Joseph-Émmanuel Zwiener with serial number 108641, made circa 1902-1904, the bronze mounts attributed to designs by Léon Messagé or Otto Rohloff, the Steinway musical instrument with serial number 15410, made in 1911

the hinged serpentine gilt-bronze molded top decorated on the border with an elaborate marquetry foliate and flowering garland, the case with gilt-bronze mounts, including a musical trophy centered by a violin to the back and each side with two identical cartouches, one with the cloud-borne Apollo playing the harp and flanked by seated musical nymphs, the other with musical putti at play, above an overflowing vase allegorical of the Source, all within foliate and berried encadrements, one chute bearing the signature F. Linke

Ronald V. Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, 2002, p. 175, for variations on the present model

Overall in very good condition and impressive presentation. The veneer has been recently professionally French polished. The twin light candelabra on both sides of the piano are later replacements as they do not bear the same quality of casting and chasing than the rest of the mounts fitted to the piano. The gilding of all mounts is original and the casting and chasing is of the highest standard. The Steinway musical instrument would most probably need to be tuned.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Joseph-Émmanuel Zwiener was born in Heidau, Germany on December 1, 1849 and was recorded as working in Paris at 2, rue de la Roquette in the heart of Faubourg Saint-Antoine between 1882 and 1895.  The exceptional quality of Zwiener's craftsmanship and his extensive usage of fine gilt bronze is comparable to the work of famed ébéniste François Linke (1855-1946).  Working in several styles which were fashionable in Paris at the time, Zwiener copied mainly Louis XV pieces from public collections, adapting them in his own extravagant interpretation of the Rococo. At the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, he was awarded the prestigious Médaille d'or for an exceptional Sèrre-Bijoux which brought high praise from the jurists: 'dès ses débuts d'une Exposition universelle, [il] s'est mis au premier rang par la richesse, la hardiesse et le fini de ses meubles incrustés de bronzes et fort habilement marquetés.' The Sèrre-Bijoux sold, Christie's, London, March 17, 2011, lot 409 for £623,650. The companion long-case clock to the Sèrre-Bijoux was sold most recently in these rooms, October 26, 2010, lot 147 for $722,500.  In 1896, Zwiener was summoned to Berlin at the request of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Prussia (1859-1941) at Schloss Neues Palais, Sans Souci, Potsdam for whom he supplied a series of furnishings circa 1898-1900.  He had previously produced a copy of the Bureau du Roi for Ludwig II in 1884, another version of which was exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889. Many of these royal commissions for the German royal palaces were later brought to Huis Doorn in Utrecht, Netherlands, in 1918, where the Kaiser lived until his death in 1941.  Zwiener was recorded as an exhibitor for the German Pavillion at the 1900 Exposition Universelle, exhibiting a Rococo bedroom set, under his former German name Julius Zwiener.  This set was formerly made for the Kaiser and was sold in these rooms June 29, 1989, lot 270-5 to the Stately Castles and Gardens in Berlin.

The date of manufacture of the present art-case piano fits within the period in which Joseph-Emmanuel (Julius) Zwiener regained his independence from the Kaiser and worked at 75, Lidenstrasse, Berlin. It is not surprising that the renowned company Steinway & Sons, based in Hamburg, called upon the gifted cabinet maker to work on the design of the present art-case piano.  A series of art-case creations was first promoted during the tenure of William Steinway (1876-1896) (Ratcliffe, op.cit p. 149).

It is difficult to attribute the design of the gilt-bronze mounts to either Messagé or Rohloff as both gifted sculptors worked with Zwiener on numerous commissions.

Otto Rohloff (1863-1919) was a sculptor and chaser from Berlin.  He studied at the Academy of Applied Arts in his hometown.  From1896 he was a teacher at the Royal Applied Arts Museum.  He recieved various commissions from the German Imperial House. (See, exh. cat. Kaiserliches Gold und Silber, Schätze der Hohenzollern aus dem Schloss Huis Doorn, Berlin, 1985, pp. 100, 120-123.)  Collaborations between Zwiener and Rohloff can be found aforementioned bedroom suite exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900.

Léon Messagé was a gifted Parisian sculptor designing bronze mounts for Zwiener in the 1880s and for François Linke, circa 1895. His Croquis & Dessins, Style Louis XV, Bronzes, Orfêvrerie, Décoration, Meubles was first published by the sculptor himself, from his Paris address of 40, rue Sedaine. There were five sections with an elaborate title page surmounted by the sculptor's cipher or talisman of a wing, a play on his own name as the messenger to the Gods, a feature he incorporated many times on the mounts he designed for his patron.  The interesting connection between the three masters, Léon Messagé, Joseph-Emanuel Zwiener and François Linke can be seen in a photograph of Messagé's workplace, illustrated Christopher Payne, François Linke, 1855-1946 - The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 74, pl. 72, which shows the impressive model of the large Linke régulateur, index number 551, together with a photograph of Zwiener's cabinet that won the gold medal in 1889.

The collaboration between Zwiener and Messagé can also be found on another piano à queue sold in these rooms on April 15, 2011 for $1,112,500. 

Other known examples include a piano of comparable form with the same floral marquetry design to the lid in a private European collection.  A similar piano is featured in the 1956 George Sidney movie The Eddy Duchin Story.